Monday

I was surprised by the offense some women bloggers were sharing about this cover art for an Austin (TX) newspaper:

I was tickled by Matsu's equally retro art in response, though I'm pretty sure that wasn't her intention:

Of course, none of us has spoken to the artist, so each of us is making up our own version of the piece...

And what I make up is that this artist's tongue-in-cheek sensibility led him or her to create a piece that equates the anxiety that the late-1950's-strong-sexy-about-to-become-women's-libbers caused the status quo...to the anxiety being caused by the fact that women have "discovered" technology (once a all-boys' club), and are bending it to their will to forward crazy agendas like (gasp) community. I think it's hilarious in that it's so obviously dated, and so clearly plays with the idea of women and power.

As we say at the New Charm School, it's all made up anyway. It's human nature to fill in blanks when we don't have all the data. So why not make up that it's something that will change the world for the better? It's the same amount of work, and you get more accomplished.

Besides, no matter your personal politics, I submit that there are bigger things to get wound up about these days regarding women's rights than a cartoon in a regional newspaper. See also: South Dakota.

Wednesday

another pound gone this week...but I'll hold fire with the ticker factory thingy in case another pound disappears overnight.

Funny, I never thought I'd crack comfort eating but my reltionship with food has completely changed in the last 7 weeks. I am, at last, able to eat just when I'm hungry (even with PMT!), and when I do eat, my portion sizes are less than half what they used to be, and what I choose to eat is so much better for me.

Strangely enough, I have also gone off meat. How did I ever enjoy chicken? It's so dry and tasteless!

I try to compensate with other protein sources like beans, chickpeas, dairy foods, and as of today, hummus (spelling?)